A simple microphone with excellent sound
Sennheiser SC635
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The best USB microphone to use with a boom
Steel Series Alias
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A brand name you can trust
Blue Yeti USB Microphone
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Apple’s even better wireless earbuds
Apple AirPods Pro 2
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The solution to everything
Razer Kiyo webcam and microphone
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The best lavalier microphone
Hollyland Lark Max (Update: Currently Out of Stock)
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Whether you’re joining a virtual meeting or video calling your loved ones, sometimes technology lets us down. If you’re tired of yelling at your computer, an external microphone can bring your voice out loud and clear while blocking out background noise. A microphone is also a great tech gift to bring with you as a remote worker. For clear and easy sound controls, we asked the CNET team which microphones they recommend.
As remote work becomes more common, Zoom and other platforms like Slack have become the main portals through which you communicate with colleagues, managers or reports. Since most of us are multitasking these days, including the CNET staff, finding the right microphone for your meeting needs has never been more important.
The bigger the microphone, the less likely you’ll have a roomful of people asking you to speak louder or “did you say that again?” After all, poor audio can ruin a presentation before it even starts and make it difficult for your colleagues to understand what you’re trying to say.
We get it. A strong Internet connection and a good webcam are probably the most important things for workers (remote or otherwise), but that doesn’t mean you should sleep on the importance of a good microphone and be ready for any sound quality that comes with your laptop or desktop. . A microphone doesn’t need to be expensive either, as even a cheap USB microphone can provide great performance without breaking the bank.
Here at CNET, we use a variety of external microphones for our Zoom meetings and video calls, including USB microphones, earphones and even earbuds with decent microphone lines. Whether you’re looking to add to your work setup or looking for the perfect tech gift for someone who works from home, we’ve rounded up the best picks based on our experience.
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I’ve tried all kinds of one-way Bluetooth headsets with boom mics and none of them sound very good. Wired headsets are really the best for Zoom, and how far do you really need to be from a video call? The Sennheiser SC635 is a premium wired headset available in 1/8-inch plug or USB versions — I use the former for the best sound quality. Skip the wireless earbuds, which place the microphones on the sides of your head, far from the port where the words come from.
– Brian Cooley
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The Steel Series is best known for their gaming gear, but did you know they make a great microphone too? Alias ​​is a gray pill-shaped microphone that works well with a stand. I found it works very well on the boom. The sound quality is very good. When you plug in your headphones, you can use the monitoring feature to monitor yourself and your team. It has a touch mute button that shows you a big red X to let you know it’s on mute. There’s also a cool undertone because, at heart, you’re a gamer.
I love the Alias, and it’s my current favorite microphone for Zoom calls.
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I’ve been using my Blue Yeti microphone for a long time now and I’ve loved every second of it. Mine sits on a nameless arm I picked up on Amazon when I was reorganizing my desk, and that made it even more useful to me. There is a volume button and a mute button on the front of it so I can easily mute myself on the phone without having to access the software feature on my Mac.
The quality has been great and has never given me a problem. I wish it used USB-C instead of Micro-USB, but since it’s something I leave plugged in all the time and don’t really mess with, I’m not overly concerned about that.
— Jared DiPane
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While not exactly a microphone, Apple’s AirPods are a great way to take Zoom calls. I tend to have a large microphone in front of my face for large meetings, but if you have a small Zoom meeting of your own, a set of AirPods is more than enough. Most people already have a set of AirPods if they have an Apple phone, so why spend the extra money if you don’t have to?
– James Bricknell
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I wish I had used my Yeti Blue microphone more, but my Razer Kiyo webcam has been my work microphone throughout this pandemic. That’s because it’s Blue again well, I pick up the clacky keys where it sits on top of my mechanical keyboard, while the Kiyo just picks up my voice in its place above my monitor.
That’s not a dig at the Kiyo itself, which is better than most internal microphones and headphones. It’s a simple all-in-one, and, considering how annoying it is to switch between microphones on the twenty-two video chat platforms I use, it’s nice to have a reliable microphone that’s always connected and ready.
— David Lumba
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I need a single microphone for Zoom calls, podcasting, video presentations and voice work and the Shure MV7’s excellent sound quality provides all of that. Unlike most condenser microphones, it connects via USB directly to my computer so I don’t have to mess around with audio interfaces or any of that nonsense. It’s just plug and play, making it easy to get professional quality recordings.
— Andrew Lanxon
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Not all conference calls involve sitting down in front of a laptop. Sometimes you are a presenter and need a little freedom of movement. Lavalier microphones connect to your collar and broadcast wirelessly to a small control unit attached to your laptop.
The Lark Max comes with two microphones, with noise cancellation and a controller unit that will easily connect to your iPhone, Android, or laptop (via USB-C). The sound quality is very good, although you’ll need to speak louder than talking through a desk microphone. The volume drop is well worth it for the freedom of movement and sound quality you get from the Lark Max. As an added bonus, the case also charges the microphone and controller so you can have them on the go when you need them.
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